Rurouni Kenshin: A Modern Tale
by SYChunsa
Summary: Modern AU/ Kamiya Kaoru is a senior in high school, getting ready to take over her family dojo. A chance meeting with an ex-special forces soldier begins a tale echoing one from the Meiji Era. Strange circumstances surround her meetings with various people, but together they help each other heal and grow. However not everyone is content with the peaceful age...


A/N: Hello! I have only been particularly active in the Legend of Zelda section, but I decided to write this story as a side. I got particularly inspired during Rurouni Kenshin week on tumblr this past summer after I drew a modern AU version of the Kenshingumi. This story has a low update priority on my list, but I decided that it would be an easier write when stuck on my other stories. This is mostly a modern day translation of Watsuki's master piece with some original content to help translate it better and flesh out the characters. Please enjoy! And don't forget to review and leave feedback!

Edit: Made the way people address each other completely in Japanese. In the future, terms such as "ojii-san" and "onee-chan" may be used.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Story Notes:

1. I will not be using Japanese in this story except for honorifics or other necessary terms. I will continue to use common/culture specific sayings/phrases, probably translated into English. Story may not be 100% true to Japanese culture, but I have researched it to the best of my ability. "Thank you for your hard work" is equivalent to "gokuro sama." This is often said when ending work/class/etc. to show appreciation for teachers/etc.

2. Shinai: practice bamboo sword, Bokken: practice wooden sword (the one Kaoru is frequently seen with in the manga/anime)

3. Thank you for the food = itadakimasu (said before eating to express gratitude for the preparer)

4. Kendoka: One who practices kendo

5. Kendo: modernized kenjutsu and pretty much a sport with set rules and such; kenjutsu: in the words of many in Rurouni Kenshin, originally designed for combat situations (or to kill in other words) but modern day kenjutsu is learned like kendo, much like how Kaoru believed in Rurouni Kenshin

6. Gang vs Yakuza: I guess you could say the yakuza are the more mature version of gangs. They are more organized and strangely enough, have a large presence in Japan. They can also be seen committing chivalrous acts. In the context of the story, "gang" is used to refer to the typical group of hoodlums running around causing property damage, stealing, and getting into trouble with the law.

* * *

_**Rurouni Kenshin: A Modern Day Tale**_

_**Chapter One: Welcome To Tokyo**_

_**written by SYChunsa**_

"That's enough for today! Thanks for your hard work."

"Thank you for your hard work (1)!" a chorus of voices replied.

A young woman with raven black hair tied back into a ponytail watched over her fellow high school students as they dispersed to put away their kendo gear and prepare to go home.

"Kaoru-chan!"

The woman turned toward the right to find another high school student waving at her from the entrance of the gymnasium. Kaoru waved back as she walked over to the brown haired girl.

"Nana-chan! Are you already finished with the archery club?" the taller black haired girl asked.

"Ah haha. Well… one of the new kids accidentally broke a school window. Watanabe-sensei was so mad that he started yelling at the captain. The vice-captain let us go early so that they could try and appease that ancient codger," Nana replied.

"Hehe. We just finished practice, so I'll be ready to go home soon. Let me change and close down the gym," Kaoru said.

"Sounds good, Captain!" the chestnut haired girl replied before disappearing from sight with a flick of her braid.

Kaoru could only smile at the girl's bright personality, and soon enough, the gymnasium cleared out as the kendo club members bid her goodbye. She quickly changed out of her kendo outfit into a white blouse, dark navy blazer, gray skirt, and knee high white socks. After a quick look once over in the mirror, the student tied an indigo ribbon around her ponytail and fixed the school issued crimson ribbon under her collar. Kaoru grabbed her black school briefcase and wrapped shinai and bokken (2) before exiting the gymnasium to find Nana leaning against the wall.

"Nana-chan," Kaoru said to grab her friend's attention as she closed the door behind her.

"Do you want to go grab some ice cream before we head back?" Nana asked.

"Sorry, Nana-chan. I forgot that I have to work at the Akabeko today after changing at home," the black haired girl replied before raising her hand in apology.

"Awww. Kaoru-chan, are you sure you aren't pushing yourself too hard? This is our last year in high school after all! Even if you aren't planning to go to college right now, that might change in the future. You need to keep your grades up just in case!" Nana said as she took out her black loafers from her locker at the school entrance.

"Don't worry about me, Nana-chan. Besides, I'm planning on officially taking over the family dojo when I graduate. I don't think I'll be able to go to a university," Kaoru replied as she also removed her black loafers from her locker.

The two girls put on their shoes before walking out the school doors and front gate, politely bowing at the school faculty along the way. They unlocked their bicycles and headed home. Nana waited for Kaoru as she unlocked her dojo gate and went in. The brown haired girl biked down the street a little further before unlocking the smaller backyard gate leading to her grand house. The front door unlocked with a click after verifying Nana's fingerprint, and she was greeted by her mother.

"Nanami, welcome home!" the middle aged woman greeted.

"I'm home!" Nanami, also known by Nana, replied.

"How was school?" her mother's voice asked from the kitchen.

"Same old, same old. I finished earlier than Kaoru-chan today because some first year broke a window, causing Watanabe-sensei to fuss out the captain," Nana said.

"Ah, Kaoru-chan! How is she doing? She hasn't been over for dinner lately," the woman commented.

"Mrghhh. She's been too busy working at the Akabeko to support the dojo. I'm worried that she's gonna make herself sick. I don't get why she just doesn't move in with us," Nana grumbled out.

"Now, now Nanami. That dojo has been in her family for generations, and it holds lots of memories from the time when her parents were still alive," Nana's mother gently chided.

Nanami let out a heavy sigh, filled with worry for her friend.

"I get that mom, I just wish that she would accept other people's help," Nana muttered.

"Nanami. Kaoru-chan is exactly like her parents. They supported themselves and refused to involve money in relationships, and that is how Kaoru is too. The best thing you could do as her friend is watch over her and support her," the older woman said.

"Yeah…I know. I wish I could help her more though… so, Mom. I have a couple of questions for you," Nana began.

"You have permission to ask."

"Aren't you supposed to be working till 6 today?"

"I left my underlings to take care of the office. There weren't any big cases that came in today, and even if they came in an hour ago, I wouldn't be able to work on them until tomorrow."

"Okay…not that you should be doing this kind of stuff regularly…So…what are you doing in the kitchen? Everything you touch burns-OW!"

Nana fell onto the floor, holding her head as a yoga ball rolled away.

"I'm filing a lawsuit!" Nana exclaimed.

"That's funny since you're saying that to your ATTORNEY MOTHER."

/

Kaoru's blue bike screeched to a halt, and she chained it to a pole at the back of the traditional Japanese Akabeko restaurant. She quickly fixed her kimono work uniform before entering the back door. Voices greeted her as she passed through the kitchen to find the owner of the restaurant and check in.

"Tae-san!" Kaoru yelled over the loud murmur of the kitchen.

A tall woman with her dark brown hair tied up in a bun turned around to greet Kaoru as her brown eyes curved upward in delight.

"Kaoru-chan! I'm glad you could make it. We just received a catering order, so the kitchen is swamped, and I had to pull some of the waiters to help out in the back. Can you start waiting the tables right away?" Tae asked.

"That's what I'm here for!" Kaoru replied with a small salute before grabbing an order pad and pen.

The young student weaved through the wandering waiters and customers with practiced grace to approach a small table with a young family. Tae nodded her head in approval before her attention was drawn by a chef in the kitchen.

/

Around 8:30, the crowd at the Akabeko finally died down enough for Kaoru to take a seat.

"Sorry, Kaoru-chan. I didn't know we would be so busy today. I know that you must be busy with school," Tae apologized.

"No need to be sorry, Tae-san! I'm glad that business is booming, and school just began last month, so I'm not terribly busy," Kaoru assured.

After another thirty minutes, time came for the restaurant to close down for the night. After the last of the stragglers exited the establishment, Kaoru found a bowl of rice set down before her. A plate of fish and a bowl of stew soon joined the rice, and she looked up to find Tae and the rest of the restaurant staff smiling at her.

"Eat up, Kaoru-chan. It'll be your birthday next month, right? We need you to stay healthy until then so that you'll be able to have a grand birthday feast!" Tae exclaimed.

"Right!" Kaoru's co-workers agreed.

"Thank you, Tae-san. Everyone. Thank you for the food (3)," Kaoru said with a grin.

The kendoka (4) ate her food with a hearty appetite as the other waiters wiped down the tables and got ready to close the Akabeko. Kaoru thanked Tae for the meal again before mounting her bike to head home. She waved goodbye to her co-workers, and Kaoru started to pedal down the street.

/

"I'm home."

"Ah! Welcome back, Dad!" Nana replied.

"Welcome back, Dear," Nana's mother replied as she read the newspaper.

"I'm sorry I'm late. One of the chefs burned his hand, so I had to stay late to cover for him," Nana's dad replied.

"We ordered dinner, so no need to worry about us," the older woman said.

"That's good. I saw Kaoru-chan on my way back. Looked like she had just finished work," Nana's dad commented.

"Glad to know she made it back safe and sound," Nana said with a sigh of relief.

"I hardly think you need to worry about her. If it weren't for her age, she would already be teaching for her family's dojo," the older man said.

"But still. Haven't you heard the news? There's been an increase of gang activity in this area," Nana's mother said.

"Hmm…is it really okay for Kaoru to stay alone?" Nanami questioned as she looked outside the living room window to peer at the gate of her friend's residence.

/

Kaoru let out a long tired sigh as she sank into her bath's warm water. She cautiously looked around her bathroom. The young woman had gotten the feeling that she was being watched to and from work. The eerie silence of her family's large residence and dojo did not help either.

The student shook her head to get rid of those thoughts, and she stood up. Kaoru quickly dried herself off with a towel before pulling on her pink pajamas. After a quick check to make sure all the gates and doors were locked, she entered her room and locked it with a click.

Kaoru stared up at the ceiling from on her bed as she thought about Nanami's words. Even if she did go to college, she wouldn't know what to study. Her only real interest was in kenjutsu, and quite honestly, it seemed to be the only thing she was good at. Her grades were decent, but they were not super awesome like Nana's grades. Of course, her friend was planning on becoming an attorney like her mother, so top tier grades were a given. Ah well…there's not much that she could do right now anyway while she was concentrating on paying her house bills.

The young woman's sapphire eyes closed, and after a good night's sleep, she heard the obnoxious ringing of her morning alarm. Kaoru rubbed her eyes as she climbed out of her bed, silencing the alarm on her phone. She quickly got ready for school, ate a small breakfast, and momentarily stopped at a small shrine set up near the living room. Kaoru closed her eyes with her hands put together, paying her respect to two memorial tablets. She grabbed her lunch, school bag, and kendo practice swords before exiting the dojo gate to greet the already waiting Nanami.

The two girls mounted their bikes to spend another day at school. Time passed without much incident until Kaoru was called to the teacher's lounge by her homeroom teacher. Nana's eyes followed Kaoru's figure out of the classroom with concern as the other students started whispering to each other.

"Hey!" Nana barked as she heard the beginnings of a rumor.

The other students immediately hushed at their class representative's transparent annoyance.

/

"Kamiya-san. You must know why I called you here?" a short black haired woman asked as she looked at Kaoru who now sat across from her.

"Ah…it's because of college isn't it, Ueno-sensei?" the student replied as she looked straight into her teacher's kind brown eyes.

"That and I need to talk about your club participation for this year. The other teachers keep bringing up concerns about sending you to a university or other college ever since you filled out the career survey last year. I'm sure if you said the word, the school would be more than willing to help you find scholarships to help pay for your education. After all, you're one of our most beloved students," Kaoru's teacher explained.

"Ueno-sensei, I know everyone means well, but I am determined to take over and revive my family's dojo. I am the only one left in the dojo that has full mastery of the style, and thus, I am only the only able to continue teaching the Kamiya Kashin-ryuu," Kaoru stated.

Ueno gave her student a kind smile as she clasped Kaoru's hands in hers.

"I understand, Kamiya-san. I will tell the teachers once more of your decision and get them to stop bothering you. Now, to move on to your club participation. Since you do not plan to attend a university next year, I am assuming that you will continue participating in the kendo club even when most of the other third year students will be withdrawing participation?" the teacher asked as she let go of Kaoru's hands.

"Yes. It's good practice for me too," the student replied.

"I see. Then Kamiya-san, will you be participating in the regional tournament?" Ueno questioned.

"Yes, and I plan to go to nationals. It will be good publicity for the dojo once I can officially start teaching classes," Kaoru explained with a smile.

"I will be rooting for you, Kamiya-san. I'm sure that I don't need to remind you, but you need to think about choosing a new team captain for when you graduate. It's not all that uncommon for third years to pass on the title early. Are you sure you don't want to do that right now?" Ueno asked.

"I have been thinking about it," Kaoru replied.

"I understand. Well then Kamiya-san, that's all there is. Hurry along to class. Ah! Aren't you going to another dojo to train today?" the teacher asked.

"Yes. Kendo and kenjutsu are a bit different after all (5). I need to practice both if I'm going to be teaching at the family dojo," the student said in response.

"Be careful, Kamiya-san. There has been a rise in gang and yakuza(6) activity in town. Don't stay out too late," Ueno said before she dismissed Kaoru with a friendly wave.

"Yes, yes. Thank you, Ueno-ensei," the student said with a bow before exiting the room.

/

"Hiyah!"

A loud crack resounded as Kaoru's shinai slammed into the side of her unfortunate opponent.

"Match set!" a tall bearded man exclaimed.

"K-Kaoru-san….please go easy on me next time," a voice muttered as the young man around Kaoru's age struggled to get up off the floor while clutching his side.

"Sorry, sorry! I got carried away!" Kaoru apologized as she blushed in embarrassment.

"Don't apologize, Kaoru-kun," the referee said as he put a comforting hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"Maekawa-sensei," Kaoru said as she looked up at the smiling older man.

"If you practice without putting forth all of your effort, you won't be able to participate with all your effort at the tournament," he said before turning toward the male student.

"You left your side wide open. If Kaoru-kun had been using her school's techniques for practice instead of the standard kendo strokes, you would have been beaten twice over already," Maekawa stated with a heavy sigh and shake of his head.

"Ah, that's right. You're participating in the regional tournament, aren't you Kaoru-san?" another male student asked.

"Awww man. I don't want to fight in the tournament anymore. Kaoru-san will beat me for sure before lecturing me like how she does in this class," a boy nearby whined.

"Haha! Brace yourself Daichi-kun. Kaoru-san will beat you without breaking a sweat," a female student stated.

The other students laughed before Maekawa calmed them down.

"That's enough for today. Thank you for your hard work," the older man said with a slight incline of his head.

Kaoru and the other students bowed in return.

"Thank you for your hard work!" they said before dispersing to pack their gear and socialize.

"Kaoru-san!" a girl's voice said.

The black haired high school student turned her head to find a middle school girl leading a large crowd of other female students toward her.

"You were amazing during practice today, Kaoru-sensei!" the girl in the front exclaimed with stars practically showing in her eyes.

"Oh, Akemi-chan," Kaoru said as she finished packing her stuff to go home.

"Hey, hey! When is the tournament! I want to come watch you beat the boys into the ground!" the girl standing next to Akemi said.

"Here, here!" the other girls agreed.

"Now, now Miho-chan. That's not what kendo is about," Kaoru said as she tossed the girl with a short haircut a disapproving look.

"Sorry, Kaoru-sensei, but you know how it is. There are boys that make fun of us for taking kendo lessons…" Miho said with a pout.

"I understand, Miho-chan. I do admit that showing the boys how kendo is properly done is very fun," Kaoru said as she patted Miho's black head of hair.

"Sensei! Tell us when you're tournament is!"

"Come on!"

"Say it!"

"Tell uuuuuuussssssss!"

"Okay, okay! Regionals will be during September!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Whaaaat. That's so far away. You have five months before the tournament," Akemi said.

"That doesn't mean I shouldn't be practicing. Well now, all of you should head home," Kaoru said.

"Okaaaaay," the girls whined before they quickly packed their things and left.

The dojo eventually cleared out until only the instructors remained.

"Some peace and quiet," Kaoru sighed out.

"Don't be like that, Kaoru-kun. Those girls really admire you. They were so uncertain when they first came here, but look at them now," Maekawa-sensei stated.

"Haha, that's for sure. I just hope they don't pick up on Kaoru-kun's bad temper that they have yet to see!" a middle aged man with a few streaks of gray in his spiky light brown hair exclaimed.

Kaoru grit her teeth before giving the older instructor a light whack on the thigh.

"Ah ha. There it is!" he said.

"Mrgggh. Takahashi-san," Kaoru grumbled as she slung her school bag and practice swords over her shoulder.

"Not changing before going home?" Takahashi asked.

"These are more comfortable than a skirt, and it isn't too far of a bike ride," the high school student replied with a wave of her hand.

"Be careful on your way home then, Kaoru-kun," Maekawa said with a wave back.

"If any weird people start talking to you, just beat 'em with that infamous bokken of yours!" Takahashi called.

Kaoru exited the dojo with a shake of her head and mounted her bike. By that time, the sun was setting. Kaoru's stomach let out a low growl as the kendoka pedaled in silence, She let out a heavy sigh as she thought about what she could make edible when she got home. Kaoru's train of thought was broken as she hit an intersection and decided to dismount her bike to cross the street. The crosswalk signal for her stretch flashed green, and Kaoru proceeded to the other side behind a crowd of people.

A sudden shiver went down Kaoru's spine. She felt eyes upon her, exuding murderous intent and bloodlust. Where? Where was it coming from?

Before Kaoru could look around for the source, the angry chorus of car honks drew her attention as a bystander yelled at the people still crossing the street to look out. Kaoru immediately began running toward the sidewalk with her bike at her side when crying reached her ears from behind. The kendoka found a young elementary school girl laying on the pavement stomach first and scrapes apparent on her hands. A black sedan sped toward them.

A brief flash. The bloody face of a man in his thirties. His mouth moved but no words were heard. His hand gently touched Kaoru's face.

Kaoru's eyes blinked as she shoved her bicycle to the side and ran toward the crying girl. Her knuckles scraped against the pavement as she picked up the child and held her close. Her ankles stretched as she quickly changed direction to run back toward the sidewalk, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the black car change direction toward them despite the other half of the crosswalk being free of obstacles. This car…

Kaoru's legs burned with intensity as they carried her and the young girl toward the sidewalk. The car was not slowing down and seemed determined to hit them, so the high school student jumped as soon as she was in close enough range. Her form gracefully arced over the guardrails separating the sidewalk from the street. Kaoru hit the concrete as she heard the car swerve and scrape against the metal barrier before zooming off. Bystanders gathered around, voicing their concern before the clear voice of an official reached Kaoru's ears.

"Hey, have you or the child been hurt?"

The kendoka looked up to see two female traffic officers looking at them with concern. Kaoru looked down at the small shaking form in her arms, and she comforted the young girl.

"You aren't hurt, are you?" Kaoru asked the brown haired girl with pigtails.

She shook her head as she sniffled.

"You're a strong girl to not cry," the student said with a smile as she patted the young child's head.

"Hey, hey! You're bleeding! Call for an ambulance!" the officer with long brown hair told her partner.

"I'm on it!" the officer with short black hair replied before she dashed off to their patrol car.

"I'm fine! Really! I don't need to go to the hospital! Can you just call this girl's parents and get her checked up?" Kaoru asked.

"You are not fine! Your sleeve is red from blood!" the officer exclaimed.

"Instead of calling the hospital, why don't we just take them to one?" the black haired officer asked from the car.

"Yeah, let's do that. The suspect is long gone anyway…I'm sure the Chief won't mind," her patrol partner replied.

"W-Wait!" Kaoru exclaimed, but the officer with short hair quickly loaded Kaoru's bag and practice swords into the car.

"If a student like you is worried about cost, we'll take care of it, so just get in the car with the young girl!" the brown haired officer ordered as she pushed the two into the vehicle.

Kaoru's bike was mounted to the vehicle by extra rope that was in car as the high school student sat down next to the pig tailed girl in the back seat. The door closed with a click before the two officers turned on the car siren and sped off toward the hospital. Kaoru looked outside in disbelief as the passenger officer talked to the small girl in order to call her parents. She had seen these two officers patrolling the city before and knew they were the real deal, but why did she feel like she just got kidnapped by them?

Kaoru looked at her blood stained kendo uniform sleeve before letting out a long sigh. The blood definitely would not come out. A uniform lost. Her thoughts were drawn away as the young child next to her began talking to her. The older girl smiled before entertaining the elementary student as the two police officers looked on with mild interest and amusement. The ruined uniform and pain from her raw scraped skin faded from her thoughts.


End file.
